During a season of merriment and joy, but also peak waste production, a Christmas tree farm in Cambridge, Ont., is mitigating some of the holiday season’s less eco-friendly aspects by offering biodegradable Christmas tree netting.
At Chickadee Christmas Trees, those in search of the perfect fir, spruce, or pine can purchase their tree knowing that the material used to wrap it will be 100 per cent biodegradable and non-petroleum based.
Being lifelong nature lovers and retired science teachers, Alison McCrindle and Joe Wareham, the farm’s owners, know the impact that microplastics have on the environment. They felt strongly about switching to a more environmentally-friendly wrapping material. “We wanted to switch from plastic for a long time, but we were never able to find a company that sold an alternative that wasn’t petroleum based,” says Alison.
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Two years ago, determined to retire the plastic netting used industry-wide, Alison and Joe began looking into manufacturing the product themselves. “We connected with a fish netting company based in Washington called Gannet Nets and, after going back and forth with some prototypes, we came up with the 100 per cent cotton netting we’re using now,” says Alison.
At Chickadee Christmas Trees, where Alison and Joe wrap more than 1,000 trees during the holiday season, selling hundreds every weekend, the new netting has been a success. “We’ve been very satisfied with it, and we’re trying to let other Christmas tree farms know about it,” says Alison. The netting is popular amongst customers as well. “We’ve had people tell us that they chose to come to our farm after hearing about the biodegradable wrapping, which is great to hear.”
The new netting is slowly gaining popularity, with the couple selling to other Christmas tree farms across southern Ontario, including Madeira Farms in Rockwood, Fox Hollow Farms in Langton, Warkentin’s Tree Farm in Leamington, The Christmas Farm in Harrowsmith, and Barrett’s Christmas Tree Farm in Cobourg.
Karen Madeira and Peter Williams, the owners of Madeira Farms, are also happy about the new netting. “We were keen about getting it because it was the right thing to do,” says Karen. “People appreciate that we have a sustainable option for them.”
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Alison notes that the 100 per cent cotton netting is biodegradable, but shouldn’t be composted. Yes, the netting will still go to a landfill, but the material will break down much faster than traditional plastic netting.
“We did an experiment this May where we buried a piece of the cotton netting alongside a bit of the plastic one, and a piece of a plastic garbage bag,” says Alison. “When we checked about three months later, the cotton netting was completely gone. It works!”
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